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Ronin class
The Ronin class was a type of explorer that saw service with the Federation Starfleet during the 24th century. The Ronin entered service during the 2370s to serve as a smaller counterpart to the larger . Many of its components mirrored that of its larger cousin. The Ronin was designed with a focus towards scientific exploration rather then combat operations. The ship's rear pod was changeable allowing for mission specific pods to be used such as a weapons' pod, sensor pod or colony pod. General overview The Ronin class is one of the newest classes of starship built by the Federation. Development began in 2375 following the end of the Dominion War. History With the immediate threats of both the Borg and the Dominion dealt with, Starfleet turned its attention to what the Federation lacked during the war which could have helped gain the alliance victory over the Dominion much sooner. One of the answers determined by this study was the need for vessels capable of deploying large numbers of soldiers quickly. A design brief was quickly submitted, requesting a starship that could be operated by a relatively small number of Starfleet personnel but could carry a battalion of troops comfortably enough for long periods of time, deploying them quickly and efficiently when necessary. For many years, the Nebula-class had been a venerable scientific workhorse in Starfleet. With its interchangeable pods, it had had both versatility and easy manufacture as winning points, but it was getting long in tooth. Starfleet's latest advance had been the Sovereign-class vessel, and the designs had proven robust and well suited to various mission profiles. Taking advantage of a tried and true concept and merging it with the latest technology was an easy decision, and thus the idea for the Ronin-class vessel was born. Using design methods applied to the Defiant-class starship, the spartan, compact internal design allows for the large number of soldiers as well as the minimal number of personnel to operate such a vessel in addition to the tools, weapons, equipment and vehicles the Marines utilise regularly. In 2378, a new class of ship entered service in Starfleet. The Ronin class was designed to compliment the Kelvin class ships, and augment the Nebula class vessels. Originally designed with twin mounted type-XX phaser cannons and a torpedo turret, this ship has found it's way into both the combat fleet, as well as the long range exploration fleet. Designing of the Ronin class dates back to the Dominion War. Starfleet needed more combat enhanced vessels to help turn the tide. With the success of the Galaxy class, Nebula class, and the Sovereign class, Vice Admiral Rick Snider envisioned a vessel that was large enough to incorporate both the type-XX cannon from the aforementioned refits and the torpedo turret of the Sovereign class. However, Vice Admiral Snider wanted keep the ship maneuverable enough to 'dog fight' with smaller vessels in close one-on-one combat if needed. During the design phase, two versions of the ship were made. The Ronin class and the Borodin class. While Starfleet Command approved both designs, they placed the Borodin class on hold until the end of the war, choosing to focus on the Ronin class which was a more combat enhanced vessel. Shields from the Sovereign class, as well as a modified Sovereign class saucer section, including the turret, where used in the prototype. The weapons/sensor pod was taken from the failed Backman class and slightly redesigned to fit the Ronin class. While science labs are fewer then the Sovereign class, they are roughly equal to the Intrepid's and include a modern astrometerics lab. As the ship's construction progressed, the ship's size increased by 20%. This allowed for better crew quarters and facilities. A larger sickbay, two more holodecks, a slightly larger shuttlebay, and of course larger crew quarters were all included. However, as the ship took shape one thing began to stand out in the minds of the designers and test crew. The ship didn't have the power for it's weapons suite. During full battle conditions, computer models showed that there wasn't enough power for the planned twelve type-12 phaser arrays, ten torpedo launchers, two type-XX cannons, and torpedo turret. Not to mention the shields, engines, and other vital systems. Designers decided to cut several of the phaser arrays and two of the torpedo launchers. While the ship would still have an awesome punch, it's armament would be less then they wanted. In essence, the Ronin class could stand nose to nose with the largest capital ships and even some starbases, but in a battle with ships more maneuverable it could be at a disadvantage unless it could bring it's primary weapons to bare. In 2386, as lessons were learned from the Borg Invasion of 2381, technology progressed, and more power came available with improved generators and better efficiency from the warp reactor, the Ronin class was chosen as one of the few existing vessels to undergo additional updates, and new vessels of the class would be built with these improvements, however the six existing vessels of the class would not be upgraded. These included 'blisters' being added to the outsides of each nacelle where two type-U phaser cannons would be mounted, firing forward. Additional improvements included a quantum field focus controller at the front of the ship's main deflector, a chroniton integrator, a multidimensional wave-function analysis module, and a sympathetic fermion transceiver. These additions, barrowed from the Vesta class, were clearly aimed at giving the Ronin class quantum slipstream capabilities, but to this date the only Ronin class vessel with QSD is the USS Durga based at Starbase 400. During the USS Durga's refit, she was also fitted with a new type-1 positronic computer core, pioneered aboard the Gladiator class ships. This core allows for more storage space and faster processing speeds over the bio-neural processing core she was designed with, while using slightly less power. Weapons and transporters The weapon systems aboard the Ronin-class make her a very capable vessel during combat situations. The combination of 8 type XI phaser arrays which are not as powerful as the type XII, but have a much faster firing rate, 2 type U phaser cannons and 5 torpedo launchers gives the Ronin class much needed muscle when required. Perhaps the most important aspect of the design is the high capacity, transporter capability. While the Ronin class has 4 standard 6-person transporter pads, it also boasts 2 22-person transporter chambers to enable rapid-deployment when necessary. Overall, the Ronin class is a very capable combat vessel and is a much needed addition to Starfleet's defensive forces. Known vessels *USS Ronin (NCC-74563, prototype) *USS Morningstar (NCC-81269) *USS Dominance *USS Enigma *USS Hobbes *USS Samurai *USS Tiber *USS Discovery (NCC-31929-B) * (NCC-5596) Category:Federation starship classes